Legislature of Burma | |
---|---|
Type | |
Type | |
Houses | Senate House of Representatives |
History | |
Founded | 1936 |
Disbanded | 1947 |
Preceded by | Legislative Council of Burma |
Succeeded by | Union Parliament |
Seats |
168 36 (Senate) 132 (House of Representatives) |
Elections | |
Last election
|
Burmese general election, 1936 |
Meeting place | |
Rangoon, British Burma |
The Legislature of Burma was the legislative body of British Burma from 1936 to 1947. As an elected body, the Legislature of Burma was a bicameral legislature consisting of the 36-seat Senate and the 132-seat House of Representatives.
The Government of Burma Act 1935 separated Burma from British India as of 1 April 1937, and created a 36-seat Senate and a 132-seat House of Representatives.
In 1938, the Legislature of Burma attempted to remedy the dispossession of rural Burmese farmers who were displaced by Indians, in particular, the Chettiars, by passing the Tenancy Act, Land Purchase Act, and Land Alienation Act. The Tenancy Act intended to safeguard tenants from eviction and to fix fair rents, while the Land Purchase Act allowed the government to purchase large swathes of land owned by non-agriculturalists to be resold on a tenancy basis to genuine farmers. In 1938, the Legislature passed into law the progressive University Act.